LETTER: Even With Trash Resumed Pickups, Residents Still Feeling Effects of Strike

Dear George,

When I wrote my first open letter to you, I hadn’t meant for it to be a habit, but circumstances being what they are, I guess it was meant to be.

First of all, I stand by my last letter in Watertown News, where I complimented you and Tom Brady (Director of the Department of Public Works): https://www.watertownmanews.com/2025/07/15/letter-thanks-for-trash-collection-concerns-about-utility-work-notifications/

Let me explain why I’m writing this letter to you. It’s been a full month now since the trash strike began, and I think that you would agree that we’re handling this quite well as a community.

But here’s the thing: whether residents notice this or not, between the extreme heat and the uneven and unpredictable trash pickups, it puts stress on people. It’s not the kind of stress that you experience when you’re in a car accident or lose a job.

No, it’s that nagging, in the back of your mind kind of subconscious thing, when you come home, wondering if something as predictable and mundane as your trash pickup has occurred. For instance, one resident just told me that he is a Tuesday pickup. His trash was picked up on Saturday.

Or how am I supposed to do yard work (aka clearing out rat harborage areas) with no option for getting rid of yard waste on a regular basis? (NOTE: The City has just announced that curbside yard waste pickup will begin again … good news). But as one resident has mentioned to me, bags have been sitting out in the scorching sun and the pouring rain for weeks. Hopefully, they haven’t caused damage already and will not disintegrate all over the streets before and during pickup … again just one of those nagging concerns.

It’s the stress that comes from walking out of your door and experiencing that slight, but pervasive smell of garbage.

This is not a slight to you, but living outside of Watertown and managing this problem, you are exposed to a great deal of stress, but not the low level, nagging preoccupation of actually living with it daily at your home.

I think that it might give people a sense that we as a town have a handle on this if you presented a “State of the City” trash strike report to us, listing the challenges and how they have and have not been able to be met… the good, the bad, and the ugly. Honesty goes a long way! Giving residents a way to comment afterward will help you see where the plan is on the mark and where it needs improvement.

Some things that people would like to hear about is a report on the dumpster and rat population. When Abbey Myers, our City Health Director, came on board, one of her first priorities was to establish a dumpster ordinance.

I’m guessing that by now, we have a very good idea of all of the dumpsters in town, their owners, and how they are handling their private trash situation. It would be good to get a report on our rat population. I’ve heard of at least one Watertown business who uses Republic who has mentioned that their dumpster is not being emptied in a timely manner and is worried about rats. There must be some data on this by now.

In regard to this, since removing rodent harborage and controlling the rat population is a Watertown Health Department priority, the public would like to know if there are any plans to open 148 Waltham St. on Saturday mornings, to accommodate those who have traditional work hours, so that they can deliver bags of garbage, recycling and, added to that list, yard waste.

In other words, what’s the removing rodent harborage plan? And how can we accommodate residents that can’t make it Monday-Friday till 3:30?

I think that people would like to know as a result of this strike thus far, what are the expenses that we’ve incurred that would not be eligible for reimbursement through a court process? How much “in the hole” is the City on these expenses?

How much can we expect to incur in legal fees to get money back?

Are there regular services (besides yard waste collection) that have had to be stopped or cut back on in some way to sustain our efforts in trash collection and storage?

If this goes on for much longer, I think that we really need to revisit using Republic as our trash collector. Every day that they refuse to negotiate is a day that they think the stress put on our community is an acceptable thing.

Whether they admit it or not, they hold a lot of the cards in this situation. It’s my opinion that they are trying to break the union, and they’re using us as a weapon. I won’t speak for others, but that, quite frankly, is unacceptable to me.

Here are some questions from residents regarding our contract with Republic that I’m sharing with you:

How can you terminate Watertown’s contract with Republic?

Have you reached out to other companies for other bids?

What’s the deadline in the City’s mind where Watertown goes in another direction?

If Watertown chooses to terminate with Republic, what’s the exit strategy?

So, please think about a serious “State of the City” communication with us, giving us the whole picture, not just the day to day details (which we also appreciate). If you could spread the report across a variety of media, that would be preferable. As you know, Watertown is not the only community struggling with how to communicate with residents who gather their news from disparate sources.

Thank you again for the efforts that City government is making on our behalf in this matter.

Linda Scott
Watertown Resident